Rock

Having stripped down everyone from Paul McCartney to Kiss, former Red House Painters front man Mark Kozelek is no stranger to the odd cover song. On his latest release, the San Francisco singer turns out a full album of them, grafting his somber chords and sleepy melodies on everything from Bad Brains' "I" to Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe." The songs are served without irony - he genuinely likes every one of these through and through. So Top 40 star Bruno Mars' "Young Girls" gets the same straightforward treatment as the pioneering California punk band the Descendents' "Silly Girl," both sounding particularly creepy when rendered sincerely here. Kozelek delivers a disarming a capella intro to Genesis' "The Carpet Crawlers," and his lush nylon string flourishes do little to diffuse the inherent shock of Dayglo Abortions' "I Killed Mommy." The simple arrangements here don't quite measure up to his original work with current outfit Sun Kil Moon, but the album has its moments: "I Got You Babe," in which he performs as both hirsute duet partners, feels like the most reverential of the bunch. Kozelek performs next Sunday at the Great American Music Hall.